Russian - Tourist - Rush Service: Visa Requirements

Double Entry / Visa Valid for TBD days

1Required Documents

Provide your SIGNED passport. Your passport must be signed on the appropriate line. (For US citizens the line is located on the page following your information page). The passport must be valid with an expiration date greater than six (6) months from the date of entry for the visa you are applying for. Passport must have sufficient blank pages (at least 2 pages) for any visa stamps. These pages must say VISAS at the top of the page.

You must provide 2 passport photos. These passport photos must match the requirements of a standard US passport photo. They must be taken at an official passport photo provider (pharmacy, Costco, post office) and should not be taken and printed via a home photo printer.

- You must have a neutral facial expression or a natural smile, with both eyes open.

- Taken in clothing normally worn on a daily basis

- Taken in the last 6 months

- Use a plain white or off-white background

- Be sized correctly

2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)

Head must be between 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 - 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head

- Printed in color on matte or glossy photo quality paper

- You cannot wear glasses.

If you cannot remove your glasses for medical reasons, please include a signed note from your doctor with application.

- You cannot wear a hat or head covering.

If you wear a hat or head covering for religious purposes, submit a signed statement that verifies that the hat or head covering in your photo is part of recognized, traditional religious attire that is customarily or required to be worn continuously in public.

If you wear a hat or head covering for medical purposes, submit a signed doctor's statement verifying the hat or head covering in your photo is used daily for medical purposes.

Your full face must be visible and your hat or head covering cannot obscure your hairline or cast shadows on your face.

Copy of computer generated round trip tickets or travel itinerary showing round trip travel entering Russia and exiting Russia. Preferably, the proof of departure documents should show your departure from the United States to Russia and back. Additionally, the Applicant's name must be on the travel document.

You may have been provided a Tourist Support Voucher by your hotel or travel agent, if you do, please provide an English Translation with it. Not providing an english translation may result in delays as the Tourist Voucher will have to be manually translated.

If you don’t have a Tourist Support Voucher yet, our company can obtain one for you for $30. Please contact your account manager if you’d like to do so or send an email requesting a Russian Tourist Invitation - HERE

Your flight Itnerary MUST show entry and exit to another country and back to Russia for each entry. i.e. New York- Moscow-Kazakhstan-Moscow-New York. The Consulate may reject your double entry request and grant you only a single entry if this requirement is not met. A tentative itinerary will suffice is some cases, however if your itinerary says “not booked” they may not accept the itinerary.

Please include your APPLICATION PASSWORD in a cover letter with your application. As outlined in our RUSSIAN APPLICATION GUIDE, please set your password to your last name followed “123”. Example: Smith123

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants who are former USSR or Russian citizens will have to provide proof that they no longer hold Russian citizenship. Please view the list below for acceptable documentation proving you no longer have Russian citizenship:

 Copy of USSR passport with a stamp stating you left for “permanent residence abroad”, dated prior to February 6, 1992;

 A copy of a “Visa to Israel” issued prior to February 6, 1992;

 A copy of a Certificate of Naturalization issued prior to 1996;

 A document confirming the renunciation of your Russian citizenship;

 A copy of the main pages of a passport of a former USSR state, issued after February 1992;

 A written statement of explanation, in the case that you have no documentation.

If the applicant is under the age of 18 (Minor) and not being accompanied by both parents, you’ll need to submit a Letter of Consent. The letter must indicate who the applicant will be traveling with, give consent for the trip from BOTH parents and signed by both parents. Additionally; you’ll need a copy of the applicant’s birth certificate and a copy of both parent’s passports.

PLEASE NOTE: In the event that the Russian Consulate elects to reject your application, all monies are subject to forfeit by the Consulate.

2Consular and Service Fees

#

Detail

Fee

1

Consulate Fee

$326

2

Service Fee

$179

3Ship Documents

1.) Place the above mentioned documents in a FedEx Letter.

2.) Send the FedEx Letter to us at :

Passports and Visas.comAttn: Processing

347 Fifth Avenue, Suite 610
New York, New York 10016

The expected processing time for this visa application is 10 business days.

Please note that processing times, fees, and requirements are based on government rules and are subject to change without notice.

1Gather Documentation for a Russian Visa

1.
Valid Passport

Provide your SIGNED passport. Your passport must be signed on the appropriate line. (For US citizens the line is located on the page following your information page). The passport must be valid with an expiration date greater than six (6) months from the date of entry for the visa you are applying for. Passport must have sufficient blank pages (at least 2 pages) for any visa stamps. These pages must say VISAS at the top of the page.

1.
Two Passport-style Photographs

You must provide 2 passport photos. These passport photos must match the requirements of a standard US passport photo. They must be taken at an official passport photo provider (pharmacy, Costco, post office) and should not be taken and printed via a home photo printer.

- You must have a neutral facial expression or a natural smile, with both eyes open.

- Taken in clothing normally worn on a daily basis

- Taken in the last 6 months

- Use a plain white or off-white background

- Be sized correctly

2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)

Head must be between 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 - 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head

- Printed in color on matte or glossy photo quality paper

- You cannot wear glasses.

If you cannot remove your glasses for medical reasons, please include a signed note from your doctor with application.

- You cannot wear a hat or head covering.

If you wear a hat or head covering for religious purposes, submit a signed statement that verifies that the hat or head covering in your photo is part of recognized, traditional religious attire that is customarily or required to be worn continuously in public.

If you wear a hat or head covering for medical purposes, submit a signed doctor's statement verifying the hat or head covering in your photo is used daily for medical purposes.

Your full face must be visible and your hat or head covering cannot obscure your hairline or cast shadows on your face.

- You cannot wear headphones or wireless hands-free devices.

1.
Itinerary

Copy of computer generated round trip tickets or travel itinerary showing round trip travel entering Russia and exiting Russia. Preferably, the proof of departure documents should show your departure from the United States to Russia and back. Additionally, the Applicant's name must be on the travel document.

1.
Tourist Visa Support Letter

You may have been provided a Tourist Support Voucher by your hotel or travel agent, if you do, please provide an English Translation with it. Not providing an english translation may result in delays as the Tourist Voucher will have to be manually translated.

If you don’t have a Tourist Support Voucher yet, our company can obtain one for you for $30. Please contact your account manager if you’d like to do so or send an email requesting a Russian Tourist Invitation - HERE

1.
Note on Double Entry Requests

Your flight Itnerary MUST show entry and exit to another country and back to Russia for each entry. i.e. New York- Moscow-Kazakhstan-Moscow-New York. The Consulate may reject your double entry request and grant you only a single entry if this requirement is not met. A tentative itinerary will suffice is some cases, however if your itinerary says “not booked” they may not accept the itinerary.

1.
Application Password

Please include your APPLICATION PASSWORD in a cover letter with your application. As outlined in our RUSSIAN APPLICATION GUIDE, please set your password to your last name followed “123”. Example: Smith123

1.
Note on Former Citizens of Russia and the USSR

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants who are former USSR or Russian citizens will have to provide proof that they no longer hold Russian citizenship. Please view the list below for acceptable documentation proving you no longer have Russian citizenship:

 Copy of USSR passport with a stamp stating you left for “permanent residence abroad”, dated prior to February 6, 1992;

 A copy of a “Visa to Israel” issued prior to February 6, 1992;

 A copy of a Certificate of Naturalization issued prior to 1996;

 A document confirming the renunciation of your Russian citizenship;

 A copy of the main pages of a passport of a former USSR state, issued after February 1992;

 A written statement of explanation, in the case that you have no documentation.

1.
Minor Applicants not Traveling with Parents

If the applicant is under the age of 18 (Minor) and not being accompanied by both parents, you’ll need to submit a Letter of Consent. The letter must indicate who the applicant will be traveling with, give consent for the trip from BOTH parents and signed by both parents. Additionally; you’ll need a copy of the applicant’s birth certificate and a copy of both parent’s passports.

1.
Note on Rejection of Application

PLEASE NOTE: In the event that the Russian Consulate elects to reject your application, all monies are subject to forfeit by the Consulate.

2Consular and Service Fees

2.1 Consular and Service Fees

Russia visa fees are as below :

#

Detail

Fee

1

Consulate Fee

$326

2

Service Fee

$179

3Ship your Application to Passports and Visas.com

3.1 Place the above documents in an Overnight Envelope

Enclose the documents from Section 1 (Gather Documents for your Russia Visa) and a print out of your order confirmation in an Overnight Envelope (Fedex, UPS, etc).

3.2 Send the Application Materials to Us

Please Note: If you paid for an inbound shipping service your account manager will contact you to provide a FedEx shipping label via email to send us your completed application.